An Italian Catholic priest, Sandro Ferretto, has reportedly left the priesthood and married a Kenyan woman, Sharon Jepng’ok, in a traditional ceremony in Baringo County, Kenya.
Ferretto, 55, married Jepng’ok, a Tugen woman from Baringo South, during a Koito ceremony held on September 6 at Seretion village in Kasiela, the same community where he served as a Catholic parish priest for about 12 years.
The traditional wedding, which followed Kalenjin customs, reportedly involved dowry negotiations, family blessings and traditional rites. Family members, community elders, local leaders and Jepng’ok’s colleagues were among those said to have attended the ceremony.
Ferretto was ordained a priest in the Diocese of Padua, Italy, and began missionary work in Kenya in 2008. He served communities in Kasiela and Mochongoi under the Diocese of Nyahururu and became popularly known by residents as “Father Sandro.”
He returned to Italy in December 2020 and later served as the head of a pastoral unit comprising eight churches in Saletto, Borgo Veneto, within the Diocese of Padua.
In December 2023, reports from Italy said Ferretto had unexpectedly stepped down from the position after celebrating his final Mass.
The Diocese of Padua subsequently confirmed his departure, saying he remained a priest and was not involved in any controversy. The diocese described the decision as a requested period away from pastoral duties.
During that period, Ferretto was reportedly involved in volunteer work with a migrant support organisation based in Padua.
He later returned to Kenya, where he reunited with Jepng’ok, whom he had reportedly met during his years of missionary service in Baringo.
Under Catholic canon law, priests in the Latin Church are generally required to observe celibacy and cannot marry while remaining in active ministry.
A priest who wishes to marry must undergo a process of laicisation, which involves the removal of clerical status and normally requires a dispensation from the obligation of celibacy. Without the necessary dispensation, a marriage is not recognised as valid by the Catholic Church.
Neither the Diocese of Padua nor the Diocese of Nyahururu had publicly commented on Ferretto’s reported marriage at the time of the reports.
Images and videos circulating from the ceremony show Ferretto and Jepng’ok wearing matching orange-and-blue traditional outfits and participating in Koito rites and dances surrounded by relatives and other members of the community.
